Tom Doyle, Head of Industrial Design at AKW, discusses how installers can add accessible options to their choices. 

Did you to know that 16 million folks within the UK have a incapacity and this represents 24% of the whole inhabitants. The commonest impairment is mobility, with 47% of these with disabilities citing this concern. And in the case of visible impairment, there are over 2 million folks dwelling with sight loss within the UK, with this set to rise to 2.7 million by 2030 and 4 million by 2050. Add to this those that dwell with dementia and it’s price installers attending to know make life simpler for these folks and their households. 

For these with mobility, dementia and visible impairment wants, the most typical lavatory hazards are poor lighting, no seize rails and journey hazards. In relation to showering, the problems relate to having to step over the brink into a shower to entry the bathe, utilizing bathe seats with out arm rests and attempting to activate a bathe that’s both too sophisticated to function or that has controls which might be too small to see or use. 

In relation to making the toilet a safer house listed below are some high suggestions for installers: 

Managed motion
To advertise secure motion across the lavatory, set up seize rails and bathe seats with arm rests. When selecting seize rails and bathe seats, significantly for these with visible impairments use two colors the place the sunshine reflective worth (LRV) distinction between each colors is bigger than 30. This creates probably the most noticeable distinction between an object and its environment. AKW’s seize rails and bathe seats can be found in a spread of colors to assist these with visible impairments. Additionally do not forget that colour distinction is finest achieved with contrasting shades of the identical color moderately than totally different colors. 

Lighting the best way
For these with low imaginative and prescient, the avoidance of shadows, darkish areas and glare are key to secure motion round a toilet. Take into consideration putting in LED process downlights with a slim 30° beam angle over particular ‘task-based areas’ such because the bathe, tub, sink or rest room. Additionally set up extra ambient lighting, to keep up common gentle ranges all through the toilet house.  

Showering success
Search for BEAB Care licensed or authorised by the Royal Nationwide Institute for the Blind (RNIB) showers. It is because they are going to cut back boundaries to make use of for these with mobility or visible impairment points. Most water temperature safety can also be important, and the bathe ought to have a thermal reduce out system to guard the unit from overheating. 

Accessible showering
AKW’s new technology SmartCare Plus, SmartCare Lever and iTherm fashionable electrical showers guarantee installers assist make showering much less tense for these with mobility or visible impairment wants, or dementia. They’ve been designed with rounded edges, to scale back the danger of fall associated accidents, illuminated LED shows to assist operation and a matt completed central panel, to allow simple management location for these with visible impairment and dementia.  

For security they function thermostatically stabilised temperature management and a thermal cut-out system. The SmartCare Plus and SmartCare Lever are BEAB Care licensed, RNIB tried and examined, and DSDC dementia-friendly product accredited. SmartCare Plus will also be managed through a distant, wall mounted on/off button that has a wi-fi vary of as much as 10 metres, providing carer help. 

Accessible showering needn’t be sophisticated or costly. It simply requires utilizing options which have been designed with extra wants in thoughts. With accessibility turning into an increasing number of of a difficulty, options corresponding to care showers are a helpful addition for installers wanting so as to add extra accessible showering choices to their providing. 

To look at a video about accessible showers and AKWs new vary please click on right here.